Jayum A. Jawan

Indigenous Knowledge and Biodiversity Conservation in Sabah, Malaysia

Feasibility of existing indigenous knowledge that maintain customary practices are relevant for management, conservation and sustainable use of biological diversity in Sabah. The status of knowledge among indigenous communities involving both practical and embedded spiritual beliefs, i.e. indigenous people is still maintaining their hunting seasons. These seasons are upheld based on the knowledge about breeding seasons, patterns of different species and also particular about hunting areas. The purpose of this paper is to assess the indigenous system towards agricultures, river and resources management. This paper also aims to report the level of the indigenous people towards biodiversity and their perceptions of biodiversity conservation in general. Environment is an invaluable award from God and it is our responsibility to manage the natural resources with a good care. Over centuries, human being is facing substantial challenges to perpetuate and nurture the environment which results from the increase of consumerism and the development of a nation. The challenge to conserve sustainable ecosystem and protected environment has lead to some debates concerning conservation and biodiversity issues elsewhere. Biodiversity has emerged at the centre of one of the most contentious global debates of this century. Critical to the debate are questions of how biologically endowed countries can achieve economic progress while balancing environmental and social concerns (1). This argument is closely related to the question of how biodiversity and traditional knowledge among indigenous people could establish meaningful collaboration towards biodiversity conservation of a mega diversity country, such as Malaysia. Malaysia is among the worlds twelfth biodiversity-rich countries in terms of the number of species, and fourth in Asia, behind China, India and Indonesia. The flora and and fauna of Sabah, Malaysia is one of the notable natural features and the number of wild plant species is likely to be approximately of 10,000 species (2). The natural ecosystem of Sabah supports a diversity of animal life including orang-utans, elephants and diverse of jungle animals, bird species and diverse marine which can be found off Sabahs coast . Moreover, the existence of large percentage (60%) of indigenous communities in Sabah also supports the natural resources and sustainable environment (3). In this context,